Road Commission for Oakland County employee Kelly Fortin said she was dismayed to read an article in the March 26 edition of The Lake Orion Review regarding drainage problems at a home on Conklin Road.
In the article, Conklin Road resident Ruth Costigan told of how her basement had flooded due to plugged drains when snow quickly melted two weeks ago. She said she called the RCOC several times before someone came out to work on the drain, and that no one had come back to unplug the one by her driveway.
“On that Monday morning I got the list, and she was the second one I did,” said Fortin, who works for the Road Commission unplugging storm drains. “This spring was very unusual we had roads washing out all over because the frost was so deep with that cold spell. There was no chance for the tubes (leading from the drains) to thaw.”
Fortin said she and her fellow employees got permission from their boss, Lauren Yoros, to work overtime on drains on Conklin Road.
“The tubes were frozen solid and we had to do the tubes across the street,” she said. “I told them I wouldn’t give up on it, and we worked from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. We usually get off at 3:30 p.m.”
Fortin said she was “offended” that Costigan had spoken badly about the road commission.
“She wasn’t the only one in the county,” Fortin said. “The roads were washing out all over. Their driveway tube wasn’t a priority when roads are washing out all over.”
Costigan responded that she did appreciate the work the Road Commission employees had done on her drain, but she just had questions regarding what she, as a homeowner, was supposed to do to help keep the drains functioning.